Acoustical panel



Jan. 15, 1963 D. c. CARTER ETAI. 3,073,412

ACOUSTICAL. PANEL Original Filed July 22, 1957 I'IIIIZIEZIIIIIIIIZIZZ.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1 .E. T /a /6 IN vs N T0 R5: Q4140 C'- 6427:? avtbmwa At Js/vmvs ATTORH Jan. 15, 1963 D. c. CARTER ETAL 3,073,412

ACOUSTICAL PANEL Original Filed July 22, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,073,412 ACOUSTICAL PANEL David C. Carter, Martinsviile, and Edward M. Jenkins,

Somerville, N.J., assignors to Johns-Manville Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Continuation of abandoned application Ser. No. 673,423, July 22, 1957. This application Get. 19, 1959, Ser. No.

4 Claims. (01. tsp-3s) in the face of the panel, thereby producing a symmetrical, perforated pattern on the visible portion thereof. As is well-known, these perforations greatly enhance the sound absorbing qualities of such panels by providing scores of small sound-entry recesses to permit the entry of airborne sound to the relatively porous interior structure. With the use of such panels, the design on the ceiling or wall is limited to a multiplying of the individual design of the regular series of perforations on the individual panel.

It is well known to modify the basic perforated panel pattern by producing on each individual panel or board a symmetrical design. However, when the panels are laid to cover a ceiling or side wall, the individual design is again repeated as in the conventional perforated panel to produce an esthetic design of repeated patterns of the individual design on the individual panel. In panels with other known designs, it is possible to obtain possibly one other modification of the basic design but the number of overall patterns obtainable in installations emplaying panels of these designs are still very limited. Moreover, in these installations, either the gang drill has to be drastically redesigned or the sound absorbing efficiency of the panel is so sharply reduced, that the use of such panels is also correspondingly curtailed.

The principal object of this invention, therefore, is to produce a panel which is adaptable to many different designs, other than the mere repetition of the individual panel design, by a simple rearrangement of the perforations, or rather, by an omission of a selected portion of the perforations.

Another object of this invention is a novel acoustical board or panel which is adaptable to such numerous designs but is not correspondingly reduced in acoustical or sound absorbing efiiciency to any appreciable extent.

Our invention will be more fully understood and further objects and advantages thereof will become apparent when reference is made to the more detailed description thereof which is to follow and to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the conventional perforated panel with the instant invention shown thereon;

FIGS. 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 are illustrative of the numerous composite designs that are possible using the panel of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a modification of the basic panel of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 8 and 10 are illustrative of the designs that are possible with the modified panel of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a modification of FIG. 7 comparable to FIG. 1; and

FIG. 11 is an enlarged cross-sectional view along lines 1111 of FIG. 10.

Referring to FIG. 1, the acoustical panel 1, which 3,073,412 Patented Jan. 15, 1963 typically comprises wood or other fiberboard, is square in shape and is perforated with a plurality of holes 2 in a symmetrical pattern. Such conventional panels with which the instant invention is primarily concerned, are usually of square shape, and with beveled edges (FIG. 11); so that the number of holes in a horizontal row equals the number of holes in any vertical column. The instant invention lies in the use of an imperforated strip portion 3 extending across one corner of the panel 1. The center line 6 of the strip is positioned so that it runs through the medial points 4, 5 of the two adjacent sides of the corner. This relationship must exist to produce a panel with the instant versatility; if the center line of the strip 3 does not terminate at the median points of the sides, it follows that the continuity of the strip from one panel to the next is destroyed when the panels are juxtapositioned. This strip 3 is formed by omitting a diagonal series of holes in one corner of the panel; the number of omitted diagonal series may be altered to produce an imperforated strip of a desired appropriate width. In the manufacture of the individual panel, this is accomplished by the removal of a predetermined definite number of drills from the gang drill following in a certain sequence, such that the instant pattern is produced. Thus, it is seen that from a manufacturing viewpoint, the cost of the gang drill is reduced somewhat by the removal of the necessary drills to create the aforesaid effect.

In utilizing the instant panel, a design may be obtained as shown in FIG. 2. Thus, panels 1a, 1b, 1c and 1d are laid in juxtaposition so that the imperforated strip of each cooperates with the imperforated strips of two adjacent panels to form an overall square pattern. This design is repeated over again in a combination of four panels to produce the overall esthetic efi'ect shown in FIG. 2.

in 3, the versatility of the basic panel is shown further by having the panels placed in a manner to produce an overall square pattern of increasing enclosed area. The panel may be laid out in this way to effect a plurality of concentric squares emanating from the basic square.

In the design of FIG. 4-, the panels are juxtapositioned in another relationship, which will be clear from the drawing, to effect a plurality of stripes running across the entire ceiling or wall.

In the design of FIG. 5, the panels are juxtapositioned to produce a zig-zag stripe running across the paneled surface. It will be readily seen that the basic zig-zag line may be repeated as shown in this figure or it may be spaced further by inserting one or several rows of standard perforated panels between the panels forming the continuous line.

In the design modification of FIG. 6, the panels are used in pairs to produce a column of V stripes. As is readily evident, each alternate column may have the V inverted to produce a herring bone effect over the entire wall surface.

These designs are merely illustrative of the tremendous versatility of the instant panel for design purposes. Thus, FIGS. 2 and 6 illustrate how the panel may be used to produce a plurality of small repeated designs over the wall surface. FIG. 3 is an example of the expanding de sign that is possible, i.e. having a central design repeated but in an expanding fashion and concentric to the basic design. FIGS. 4 and 5 are illustrative of a large or continuous design which can also be repeated, whenever desired, either by repeating the basic pattern or by repeating the pattern in a loose fashion by inserting conventional perforated panels between the columns or rows forming the desired pattern.

It is a remarkable feature of the invention that these, and numerous other, designs are all made possible not by any extensive changes in the basic panel, but actually a in making the panel desirably somewhat more simple in construction.

The panel modifications of FIGS. 7 and 9 illustrate how the basic imperforated strip may be modified slightly to produce a panel which, as in the case of the panel of FIG. 1, is readily adaptable to numerous designs, but which produces a series of designs of somewhat modified form. In each figure, the square panel 11 is perforated with the conventional rows and columns of holes 12 as previously. The unperforated strip portion 13 is formed by having its median line originate from the median points 14, 15 of the sides of one corner and run parallel to the next adjacent side for a length of one or more rows of perforations. The median lines of the two end strips thus formed are then joined by an imperforated center strip to form the one continuous imperforated strip 13. This resultant strip is a corner stripe or bar as in H6. 1 but with a slight jog effect at each terminal. As in FIG. 1, the center line 36 of the imperforated strip must ter minate atthe medial points 14, 15 of the sides adjacent the corner to provide for the versatility noted heretofore- The strip 13 is, in effect, displaced slightly as the ter minals of the median line of the central or diagonal portion of the entire strip terminate in a row of holes preceding the ultimate row.

The panel of FIG. 9 is comparable to the panel of FIG. 1; consequently, it can be used in the same manner as the panel of FIG. 1 to produce a modified version of the composite designs of FIGS. 2-6.

The panel of FIG. 7 is similar to that of FIG. 9 except that an imperforated Y, i7, completely contained orbounded by perforated areas, has been added in the corner opposite the imperforate diagonal. The Y pattern is merely illustrative of any number of auxiliary patterns which can be added to enhance the overall esthetic eifect,

In utilizing the panel of FIG. 7, results as shown in FIGS. 8 and 10 may be obtained. In the former figure, a design similar to that of FIG. 5 is produced. It is seen that in this modification a true zig-zag line is not obtained;

each line has a slight jog or step and the corners are slightly more blunt.

In the design of FIG. 10, which is equivalent to that of FIG. 2, it is seen that the result of the jog is to produce a repeated square as in FIG. 1, but with the corners not quite as sharp as those in FIG. 1. However, the basic pattern remains the same.

In both FIGS. 8 and 10, the V pattern is repeated in ad-- jacent pairs to add interesting variations to the basic zigzag or square patterns.

It is further obvious from the illustrations of FIGS. 8 and 10 that the two modified panels may be utilized to produce designs quite similar to those shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 6. in utilizing the panel of FIG. 9, the only basic changes will be those noted in FIGS. 8 and 10, i.e., a slight jog or step eifect in continuous strips and a blunting of the corners. In utilizing the panel of FIG. 7, an added esthetic effect is provided by the auxiliary corner design 17, exemplified by the Y design shown.

It will be clear, therefore, that by a simple step in the manufacture of the basic panel, that is, by the removal of certain perforations extending across one corner of the panel, a panel is produced which can be used to obtain a very considerable number of esthetic designs on an entire ceiling or wall, which designs may be a series of repetitions small designs or may be designs which are nonrepetitious on the entire ceiling or wall.

Even though the esthetic value of the individual panel as used in laying of a ceiling or other wall, and the overall esthetic value of he wall, are greatly increased, the acoustical efficiency of the instant panel or of the entire well does not appreciably decrease. In repeated tests, :it has been discovered that to produce an unperforated .strip portion such as shown in FIG. 1, approximately 10 percent of the perforations had to be removed or omitted; however, the acoustical efiiciency of the entire unit was reduced only by 5-6 percent. From a practical standpoint, this eficiency change is usually not regarded as significant.

It is obvious that the size of the strip may be altered somewhat by changing the length of its medial portion or by altering its width or even by making the strip sinuous,

so long as the aforementioned requirements regarding the coincidence of the medial line of the strip and the medial points of the sides of the panel are satisfied. With such modifications, various types of modified designs may be produced by laying the panel in a predetermined mannet as shown in FIGS. 26, 8 and 10. These and others modifications are considered to be within the scope of the invention, and it will be understood that various changes and modifications will suggest themselves to one skilled in the art, all falling within the scope of the invention as defined by the subjoined claims.

What we claim is:

l. A rectangular acoustical panel, said panel having a plurality of perforations arranged in columns and rows over the entire surface of said panel except for an unperforated strip portion extending from a medial point of one side to a medial point of an adjacent side, whereby the acoustical efiiciency of said panel is increased and said panel may be combined with a plurality of like panels to produce a multiplicity of designs.

2. A rectangular acoustical panel, said panel having a plurality of relatively closely spaced perforations arranged over the entire surface of said panel except for an unperforated strip portion extending from a medial point of one side to a medial point of an adjacent side, whereby the acoustical efficiency of said panel is increased and said panel may be combined with a plurality of like panels to produce a multiplicity of designs.

3. A rectangular acoustical panel, said panel having a plurality of perforations arranged in columns and rows over at least most of the surface of said panel with an unperforated strip portion extending from a medial point of one side to a medial point of an adjacent side, whereby the acoustical efiiciency of said panel is increased and said panel may be combined with a plurality of like panels to produce a multiplicity of designs.

4. A rectangular acoustical panel, said panel having a plurality of relatively closely spaced perforations arranged over at least most of the surface of said panel with an unperforated strip portion extending from a medial point of one side to a medial point of an adjacent side, whereby the acoustical efiiciency of said panel is increased and said panel may be combined with a plurality of like panels to produce a multiplicity of designs.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

4. A RECTANGULAR ACOUSTICAL PANEL, SAID PANEL HAVING A PLURALITY OF RELATIVELY CLOSELY SPACED PERFORATIONS ARRANGED OVER AT LEAST MOST OF THE SURFACE OF SAID PANEL WITH AN UNPERFORATED STRIP PORTION EXTENDING FROM A MEDIAL POINT OF ONE SIDE TO A MEDIAL POINT OF AN ADJACENT SIDE, WHEREBY THE ACOUSTICAL EFFICIENCY OF SAID PANEL IS INCREASED AND SAID PANEL MAY BE COMBINED WITH A PLURALITY OF LIKE PANELS TO PRODUCE A MULTIPLICITY OF DESIGNS. 